Letters to the Editor Sunday

Sunday

Feb 19, 2012 at 12:52 AM

Internet sales tax legislation currently winding its way through the state legislature, and apparently backed by Gov. Nathan Deal, could force thousands of small Georgia businesses to close their doors.

Current federal law, upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, says that a business does not have to collect sales taxes on mail order, telephone or Internet purchases except for sales made to residents of any state where that business has a physical presence — or in legal terminology “a physical nexus.”

Pressure is building, fueled by Home Depot and organizations representing brick and mortar retailers, for Georgia to find a way to do an end run around federal law and force out-of-state firms to collect sales taxes from Georgia residents.

Under legislation filed by Republican State Rep. Matt Ramsey, any Internet retailer that has an affiliate relationship with any person or business in Georgia will be deemed to have established “physical nexus” in Georgia and thus must collect sales tax. While some may see this as a clever move, our Republican governor and some lawmakers have not studied what happened in Illinois when a similar law was enacted.

Immediately upon passage, Amazon.com and dozens of other Internet merchants fired all of their affiliates in Illinois in order to avoid the new definition of physical nexus. Most of the thousands of affiliates in Illinois were forced to close, while a few larger affiliates moved to neighboring states.

By firing their affiliates, Amazon.com and the other Internet firms avoided this new definition of physical nexus and still did not have to collect sales tax on purchases made by Illinois residents. Plus the State of Illinois lost millions in income tax revenue they would have collected each year.

If Gov. Deal and Republicans in the General Assembly believe Internet merchants should collect sales taxes, there is a way to do so without unleashing the law of unintended consequences.

Within one to two years a national solution to the Internet sales tax dilemma will come to fruition. Amazon.com and other major Internet retailers have signed on to the plan being developed and many states are supporting it.

Instead of putting thousands of Georgians out of work, Georgia should join the national coalition.

CHUCK SHIFLETT

White

Editor’s note: Mr. Shiflett is former chairman of the Bartow County Board of Education and former communications director of the Georgia Republican Party.

Doris Thomas left living legacy for seniors

Savannah lost a strong advocate for older adults with the recent death of Doris Thomas.

Twelve years ago, Doris Thomas was instrumental in the formation of the Chatham County S.A.L.T. Council (Seniors and Law Enforcement Together). As an active member of the American Association of Retired Persons, Doris saw an opportunity to forge an alliance between seniors, agencies serving seniors and local law enforcement.

In October 2000, a working agreement was signed between AARP, the Savannah/Chatham County Police Departments and the Chatham County Sheriff’s Department. The subsequent development of the Chatham County S.A.L.T. Council, which has met on a monthly basis since that time, provided a networking and action forum for representatives to address crime prevention and safety issues impacting senior citizens in our local area.

The S.A.L.T. Council presents an annual forum called “consumer college,” which educates nearly 200 older adults every year at no cost to attendees. The work of the Chatham County S.A.L.T. Council is a living legacy to the dedication of Doris Thomas.

JEANNE O’BRIEN

Chatham County S.A.L.T. Council

Savannah

Catholic Church has long history of providing care

The logical flaws in James Howell’s letter (Feb. 16) headlined “Catholic Church can’t claim religious freedom” cry out for repudiation.

He used the phrase “when the Catholic Church ventures into the health care industry,” ignoring that the Church was, for centuries, the only source of medical care available to the poor.

Even in our own brief history, the church has been a source, frequently the only one, of medical care for the poor and disenfranchised. Consider Charity Hospital in New Orleans or St. Joseph’s in Savannah to give two examples among hundreds available.

He postulates a circumstance in which church schools or other religious institutions would blithely ignore government regulations regardless of the nature of those regulations. Nonsense!

It is only when the government insists on those institutions or individuals, behaving in a manner which would be contrary to their religious teachings and beliefs, that it oversteps the mark. This is precisely why the government is in violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution in demanding that the Church abets in the provision of contraceptive or abortifacient medication to its employees or students.

I am confident that this egregious attack on the First Amendment will be ruled unconstitutional.

PHILIP KEATING

Savannah

Beware governments bearing gifts

In his letter (Feb. 13), Fred Nadelman has decided and proclaimed that health care in this country is a “basic human right.”

You, the taxpayer, better expect significant increases in taxes. The more we expect from government, the more liberty we give up to get it. And the more we get accustomed to government subsidies, the more addicted we get.

When the government “gives,” it expects something in return. Soon we are told how to lead our lives and what is good and bad for us and how long we must wait for government largess. In time the recipients of “free” aid start to expect it as their right. When the balloon pops, as it must and will, these people feel cheated and anarchy is not far behind. Take a look at present-day Greece.

For the few folks truly in need, there are agencies ready and able to provide care. The costs just get shifted to those able to pay the increased insurance premiums: People like me who planned ahead and made sure I had medical insurance all my life.

I believe socialism is the best system. Who can fault the concept of “contribute according to our abilities, and receive according to our needs?” I believe this is the way heaven is organized, but it will take a bunch of angels to make it work. Somehow greed and lethargy doom mankind’s efforts toward achieving this utopia.